♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states accompanied by attorney general loretta lynch. ms. lynch good morning, : everyone. welcome to the white house. thank you all so much.

i love to have the musical accompaniment. i had to hang out with you more often. please be seated. to everyone here today, it is such a pleasure to be with you all today. it is such a privilege, really truly an honor for me to join so many outstanding public servants and distinguished guests and particularly our parade of law enforcement officers as we gather to honor the newest recipients of the public safety officer medal of valor. and bestow recognition on them for their exceptional bravery. of course, we have a special thanks to the friends, colleagues, and family members who travel here to join us for this very special ceremony. it is one of the best ones that we do in the white house. we are so grateful for your support and we are so inspired by all that you have done to support our honorees.

we know that so often, it is because of your sacrifices that they are able to serve. today, we pause to salute a truly remarkable group of public safety officers who have gone above and beyond the call duty to serve their communities and protect their fellow americans. in the face of terrible violence, they have displayed extruder courage. confronted with imminent danger, they responded with uncommon valor. in encountering wrongdoers with no regard for law or life, they fought to defend honorable and to generate. -- to do justice. these medal of valor recipients hastened toward the cries of health that rang out. they ran towards the sounds of gunfire that were in the air. they responded to school shootings, armed robberies, hostage takings and kidnappings, acts of arson and incidents of the mystic violence. some of these heroes met danger in the course of their patrols. others were off duty when they were called into action. but we all know it is not the

hour on the clock or the color of the sure that determines the hero, but the heart of the guardian. like the guardians that the all are, all of our medal recipients today acted without hesitation, placing others before self time and time again. the ultimateade sacrifice giving his life in an effort to save others. innow that no words or metals can repay the debt that we owed to these exceptional officers and to all the policeman, ofd -- firefighters, shares, and emts who go to incredible lengths to preserve their oath and protect the american people. it has often been said that the price of freedom is constant vigilance. know this, they pay that price on our behalf. their vigilance keeps our communities safe. their devotion keeps our nation secure in their patriotism makes our country strong. on behalf of my colleagues at every level of the department of

justice, i want to thank each and everyone of you for all that you have done and for all that you will continue to do. i'm so proud to count you as partners laws and guardians of justice and i congratulate you on this well-deserved honor. now, i have the honor and distinct privilege of tradition some who needs no introduction. but someone who is deeply -- devoted to our nation's law enforcement and public safety officers. some works tirelessly for their well-being and whom i know is, grateful for your service. ladies and gentlemen, without further into, please welcome the president of the united states. [applause] president obama: thank you. thank you and good morning. welcome to the white house. thank you attorney general lynch for your words and your

leadership. we have a couple members of congress here. frederick o wilson and chris collins, we want to acknowledge. i also want to recognize and the call me -- komi officials around the country who are here. i'm proud to say that with you as we celebrate police week and, most of all, i'm proud to be with the heroes on the front line and the families have supported them and for the family of one who made the ultimate sacrifice. it has been said that perfect valor is doing without witnesses what you would do if the whole world were watching. public safety officers, we recognize today the middle of found medal of valor

courage not in search of recognition, they did it instinctively. this is an award that none of them sought. if they could go back in time, i expect it would prefer that none of this would happen. one of today's honor he said about his actions, i could have very well gone my whole career in not dealt with the situation and have been very happy for that. if they had their way, none of them would have to be there and so we are grateful that they are. our entire nation expresses its profound gratitude. we are so rightful that they -- grateful that they were there , someone duty, others off duty, all rising above and beyond the call of duty. all saving lives of people they did not know. that distinction that these 13 officers of valor saved the lives of strangers is the first of several qualities they share

but there bravery, if it had not been for their bravery we likely would have lost a lot of people. mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends, and loved ones. thankfully, they are still with their families today because these officers were where they needed to be most. at a critical time. at a gas station during a routine patrol. in the middle of a busy hospital. in a grocery store. on the campus of a community college. near an elementary school where a sheriff's deputies own children were students and his tight -- his wife taught. in all of these moments, these officers were true to their oaths. to each person, they acted without regard to their own safety. they stood up to dangerous individuals brandishing assault rifles, handguns and knives. one officer sustained multiple

stab wounds while fighting off an assailant. another endured first degree burns to his arms and face while pulling an driver from a burning car on a freeway. each of them will tell you very humbly the same thing, they were just doing their jobs. they did what they had to do, did what they were trying to do like on any other day. the officer who suffer those terrible burns, he left urgent care and went straight to work. he had to finish his ship. -- shift. that sense of duty and purpose is what these americans embody. the truth is it is because of what these two that we can live our lives like it is any other day. going to work or go to school. spending time with our families, getting home safely.

we so appreciate our public safety officers around the country from our rookie cadets to our role models of attorney general. not everyone will where -- wear the medal we we give today, but every day, so many of our public safety offers -- officers were a badge of honor. the men and women who run towards danger remind us of the courage and humility with the highest form of citizenship looks like. when you see students and commuters and shoppers at risk, you do not see the civilians as strangers, he see them as part -- you see them as part of your own family, your own community. the scripture teaches us you love your neighbor as yourself. before others' safety your own. you are a proud example of public service and you remind us that loving our country means loving one another. toay, we also want

acknowledge the profound sacrifices made by your families and i had the chance to meet some of them and they were all clearly so proud of you. but we are very proud of them. we know that you stay up late and i'm worried and he kept on -- you are worried and you are counting down the minutes until your loved ones what -- loved .ne walks through the door safe we know it never gets easier and we thank you for that. of course we honor those who did not come home including one hero we honor posthumously today, iii.ant robert wilson he gave his life when two men opened fired at a video game store where he was buying a birthday present for his son. do his family who is here, his grandmother, his brother and sister, please know how deeply sorry we are for your loss. how grateful we are for sergeant wilson's service.

we also honor the more than 35 who have given their lives in a line of duty this year. one of them, an officer in virginia and ashley murray was taken from us on her very first shift. i've seen the sacrifice when i joined some of you at the national law enforcement memorial not far from here. we read the names carved on these walls and we grieve with the families who carry the fallen in their hearts forever. we have been moved deeply by the -- of their anguish but also by the pride those loved ones lived. in those moments, we are reminded of our enduring obligation as citizens that they sacrifice so much for that we do right by them. and their families. medals and ceremonies like today are important, but these are not enough to convey the true depth

of our gratitude. our words will be hollow if they are not matched by deeds. our nation has a response to support those who serve and protect us and keep our streets safe. we can show our respect by listening to you, learning from you, giving you the resources that you need to do your jobs, that is the mission of what brought people together to the trust and find concrete solutions that make your job safer. our country needs that right now. we're going to keep pushing congress to move forward in a bipartisan way to make our criminal justice system fair and smarter and more cost effect if and enhance public safety and ensure the men and women in this room have the ability to enforce the law and keep their communities safe.

a few minutes ago i signed into bills tokage of protect and honor our law enforcement officers including one that will help state and local departments i'm warm bullet-proof vest. emerson once said there is always safety and valor. safety officers we honor today gives those words new meeting. -- meaning. your courage and quick thinking gave us our safety and we want to thank you to your service and we want to thank you and your families for their sacrifice. i had a chance before i came here to meet with the recipients and i told them that, although this particular moment for which you are being honored is remarkable, we also know that every day you go out there you have a tough job. we could not be prouder of not only moments like the one we recognize here today, but the

day-to-day grind. you doing your jobs professionally. you doing your jobs with character. we want you to know that we cannot be prouder of you and we would could not be prouder of your families for all the contributions that you make. may god bless you and your families, may god bless our fallen heroes, may god bless the united states of america and it is now my honor to award these medals as the citations are ad. >> officer mario guittierez. medal of valor, miami police department. for bravery and composure during a violent attack.

officer gutierrez sustained multiple stab wounds fending off during a gas explosion that would have harmed multiple people. [applause] >> patrolmen lewis chechie. medal of valor, police department new york. resolving a volatile encounter with the gunman. after witnessing the murder of a fellow officer, he pursued and apprehended the gunman at a crowded hospital thereby saving